currently reading a book that has a bunch of footnotes and i’m honestly living for it! to me it’s so fun when an author uses footnotes to put their extra research or just little thoughts blurbs. that, or when it’s purely just extra info, i always feel so academic and like im reading a scientific paper almost.

does anyone else feel the same? are you someone who likes reading footnotes or someone who just blows past them? what are some of the best extra notes you’ve seen, if you remember any?

to those of you who typically only read standalones or only read long/heavy series, do you ever read the opposite for a while and then start desperately craving what you're used to reading? so that would be if you read a long series as a standalone reader and wanted to get back to standalones as soon as possible or vice versa

(as i'm writing this i actually realize i'm being very dramatic; i've only read like 2-3 standalones this month but i'm foaming at the mouth for a long epic fantasy or something)

I'm attempting the a-z challenge this year (read a book for every letter in the alphabet) and was wondering if others are doing the same? Thought this could be like a little check-in! 😄

If you're attempting the challenge, how are you doing? Which ones do you still need and what books are you planning on reading? Maybe we can help each other find some recs for missing letters!

I'm doing pretty well, I only need 6 more letters so it definitely seems doable ☺️

M: I'm thinking either The Mitford Murders by Jessica Fellowes (on my physical tbr) or Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie Q: maybe The Queen's Gambit by Walter Tevis? Anyone have a good Q rec? U: Either The Unadulterated Cat by Terry Pratchett or Uprooted by Naomi Novik?? V: Vampires of El Norte by Isabel Cañas for the Dia de los Muertos readalong! X: Xaipe poems by E.E. Cummings or Xingu short story by Edith Wharton (shout-out to @hannah for making an A through Z list!!) Z: NO CLUE!! HELP!!

Just a fun little challenge to see a few of everyone's favorite reads 😁

Quarterback - Fave book of 2025 so far Running Backs - Solid five-star reads Wide Receivers - Two great catches Tight End - Largest book so far this year Defense - A book you'll accept no criticism on Kicker - A book that got you out of a reading slump Bench - Other books you loved

Here's mine!

• Quarterback - The Corruption of Hollis Brown by K. Ancrum
• Running Backs - It's Different This Time by Joss Richard, The Burial Tide by Neil Sharpson, Murderland by Caroline Fraser
• Wide Receivers - Paladin's Grace by T. Kingfisher, How Freaking Romantic by Emily Harding
• Tight End - The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas
• Defense - The River Has Roots by Amal El-Mohtar
• Kicker - The City of Brass by S.A. Chakraborty
• Bench - Reformatory by Tananarive Due, Pluralities by Avi Silver, The Knight and the Moth by Rachel Gillig, Why I Love Horror by Becky Siegal Spratford, The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood, The Five by Hallie Rubenhold, Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid, 101 Books to Read Before You're Murdered by Sadie Hartman

I am a little obsessed with first lines in literature. Do you guys have any favourite opening lines in books? Either because they immediately drew you in or because they were particularly clever?

One of my favourites is from A Darker Shade of Magic: "Kell wore a very peculiar coat. It had neither one side, which would be conventional, nor two, which would be unexpected, but several, which was, of course, impossible."

Or, a very famous one, from The Restaurant at the End of the Universe: "The story so far: in the beginning, the universe was created. This has made a lot of people very angry and been widely regarded as a bad move."

Hello everyone, i hope you are allright. So my friends created a readathon for september and october to celebrate halloween and i need recs for some october prompts and i thought why not ask the people on Pagebound? So please help me out. Btw you can choose the same book for different prompts (actually if that happens it will help me because there are quite a lot prompts 🤣). Prompts: 1- Read a thriller or a mystery (I want the best of the best you have ever read) 2- Read a book with pumpkins on the cover 3- Read an horror classic (i thought about reading Dracula but idk if it fits,let me know but you can also suggest another one) 4- Read an halloween themed book 5- Read a book that was adapted to a movie or series (it should be on theme of halloween and scary stuff)

Thank you so much in advance for the recs 🫶🎃

I have 24 on Libby and 2 at my local branch. how many do you have?

(I just got a notification for a book about the Watergate scandal that I’ve been wanting to read, then saw that it’s 832 pages long and immediately suspended it 🫠 I don’t have that bandwidth right now)

when you guys take a book along for a trip or vacation, is it one you haven't read before or one that you have?

I'm going to be out of town for a few days and I don't anticipate having more down time than my short flights will grant. for that reason, I'm thinking of bringing a familiar title along. it'll be like traveling with a friend (:

I've made a post about our gorgeous female MC's in a novel, now what personality traits/quirks are you craving to read in a male lead of a romance novel? What do you feel has been overdone?

Mine says: Mainly reads fiction books that are adventurous, emotional, and dark. Typically chooses medium-paced books that are 300-499 pages long

And I’d say that’s pretty accurate lol. What does your say? Any surprises? Anyone twinning? 👀

It's coming up to my favourite time of year....Hallmark Season!!

Now I'm a horror/high fantasy type of gal, but as soon as October hits I just want to dive into the cheesy, cozy, predictable, sickeningly sweet worlds of Holiday Romances. I have the hallmark channel on 24/7 once November hits all the way to Christmas Day. I would LOVE to know some of your favourite must read holiday romances, the cringier and cheesier the better. If I get enough recs, I'll make a list of them all so anyone who wants to see them can, or if you already have a list, I'd love to follow it!

HEALTHY RELATIONSHIPS! (Shout out to sophie.b for telling me to do this in part 1💗)

Why is it that EVERY SINGLE fantasy book I read there is AT LEAST 1 couple that is TOXIC, MANIPULATIVE, or filled with SO MUCH miscommunication that could’ve been solved if the characters just actually talked for FIVE FRICKIN MINUTES?!?🤨

Dont get mr wrong I ABSOLUTELY LOVEEE all the tension, angst and drama but WHERE ARE THE HEALTHY RELATIONSHIPS??😭😭 WE NEED THEM AS WELL!! (Im gonna quickly act like I dont eat up every book with this kind of toxicity🫣)

Like I know sooooo many people would ABSOLUTELY DEVOUR a book with 2 characters SUPPORTING EACH OTHER without feeling JEALOUS and/or BETRAYED EVER 3 PAGES😔!! WE DESPERATELY NEEEEED MORE POWER COUPLES who hype each other up and COMMUNICATE!!! It's always “he’s dangerous, but she can fix him” GIRL CALM DOWN🤨 or “she’s broken, but he’ll heal her,” why not both be strong, both flawed, BUT STILL respect each other’s boundaries?🤯🤯

Just imagine in a normal fantasy couple going to therapy with each other... DO YOU KNOW HOW STRESSED THAT THERAPIST IS GOING TO BE🤣?!? They are gonna need to give themselves therapy. It isnt that hard to take 5 minutes of your time every day to just TALK ABOUT FEELINGS😭😭 and maybe tell your lover that you have this evil plan but you need to betray them for it to work?? maybe....🫤

At this point the "true love" in fantasy books equals CONSTANT drama, emotional manipulation, or one person sacrificing everything while the other sulks and gets mad. I want the RIDE OR DIE energy not the "I love you but Im gonna do this behind your back and not tell you until you find out somehow and get mad." NOOOOO!!!😔

I NEED the couples who strategize together/ PLAN THINGS TOGETHER, who banter without cruelty, who are actually FUN TO READ because you can root for them without also screaming into a pillow about red flags.😭😭

GIVE ME MESSY PLOTS NOT RELATIONSHIPS, A COUPLE THAT WORKS TOGETHER and a much better enemies to lovers that isnt glorified emotional abuse with extra eyeliner. (Damn I yapped A LOOTT💔)

I have been seeing a lot of discourse regarding book cover preferences lately. I wonder if anyone has ever gotten the ick from a book cover? If so, did you still read the book, or was it an immediate no thank youuuu?

I absolutely LOVE doing this - it lets me see all kinds of things people have read, are reading and plan on reading. I get off work in an hour and I finished the book I was reading on shift tonight.

So. What I want to know is everyone's Last - Now - Next! I started another one right after, but I am a mood reader and have no idea what I am going to read next.. so I need ideas from you all with your answers!

Last - Fixiation of the Mind by Kira Stanely Now - Black Ties & White Lies by Kat Singleton Next - IDK lol. Maybe the 2nd in the series for my NOW book.

I live in a small town with a regional library that only has one (sometimes two) copies of a book or audiobook. When I'm using the Libby app, I'm often waiting over 20 weeks for a copy of a book. I know that some larger cities have guest library cards, does anyone know of any specifically? Or possibly an online library?

I'll still support my local library until the day I die, but I read more than one book at a time so sometimes I'd like a few more options.

I'm Canadian, not sure if that matters for an online library but it might matter for a guest card.

Since September is National Library Card Sign-up Month, I thought I'd share a bit of information I discovered when looking into the magic that is non-resident library cards 😊

Unfortunately this information is only for my fellow US readers, but if you're outside the US I encourage you to look into whether there's anything similar available for you!

Current libraries I have found offer library cards to non-residents (unless noted, there is an annual fee for the card).

• Central Arkansas Library System
• Enoch Pratt Free Library, Maryland
• Fairfax County Public Library, Virginia
• Los Angeles Public Library - Must apply in person
• Monroe County Library System, Michigan - Accepts non-US residents
• New Orleans Public Library
• Orange County Library System - Accepts non-US residents
• Queens Public Library - Accepts non-US residents
• Queer Liberation Library – FREE for all (even non-US residents!), only an email address is required to register!
• Seattle Public Library: Books Unbanned – FREE for young adults aged 13 to 26 living in the US!

***EDIT: one_crazy_eliott let me know that Books Unbanned also has branches in Brooklyn, Boston, San Diego, and Los Angeles and you can apply for any/all of their cards here!

How do you guys do your monthly tbr for the month? For example this month is my birthday month so I’m reading my childhood books which has been working out so far to complete my tbr for the month but I feel like having a tbr is hard to motivate me to complete it since I’m mood reading. So wanted to find out different people ways of doing a tbr that works for them can I can use for future tbr’s if that makes sense.